Our ears still try to swivel around to hear better, despite being largely useless for this purpose. Researchers from Saarland University in Germany and the University of Missouri found that our ear muscles still contract when we attempt to listen intently, even if they don’t move much.
The study, led by neuroscientist Andreas Schröer, used electromyographic (EMG) signals to measure muscle activity in 20 young adult participants with normal hearing. They listened to audiobooks while being distracted by a podcast and recorded their EMG signals. The results showed that the muscles responsible for ear movement were strained when trying to locate sounds in noisy environments.
However, the study also found that only about 10-20% of people can use these muscles to briefly wiggle their ears. It’s believed that our ancestors lost this ability around 25 million years ago when they diverged from lesser apes and Old World monkeys. The ear movements generated by these signals are so small that there is likely no perceivable benefit.
Despite the limited effectiveness, Schröer believes that the auriculomotor system still contributes to our ability to localize sounds. He hopes to test this assumption in future research, potentially exploring its impact on people with hearing impairments.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/ears-still-try-swivel-around-031825536.html